Placement FAQs

Before I give the official questions and answers about placement, I'd just like to make the following personal observation:

As far as placement goes, a positive attitude to life and the problems you encounter will go a long way in finding a job. After instructing for so long, there are certain students that I know will have no trouble finding a job, often even before they graduate! They are not always the smartest students, or even the ones with the best results, but they are almost always the ones that smile and say 'Hi' when they see you, are friendly and easy to talk and work with, and are cool and calm with a positive attitude to problem solving when things go wrong - as they invariably do sooner or later!

Think about it - aren't these exactly the qualities most employers are looking for? Who wants to employ someone who gets aggressive or throws a tantrum when problems arise - after all, isn't most of the IT industry about fixing somebody's problem?

Anyway, that's my 2c worth - now on with the official Questions and Answers.

What will Computer Power Institute of Technology do for me?

Computer Power Institute of Technology provides you with the opportunity to prepare for your new IT career in four areas:

1. Computer Power Institute of Technology will train you in the technical skills required by Industry.
2. Computer Power Institute of Technology will train you in all the soft skills required by business. Soft skills include writing skills, communication skills, time management, teamwork, customer service skills and more.
3. Our Professional Development Consultants and Placement Consultants will train you in all that is necessary to undertake a successful job search. This includes learning about the hidden job market, the advertised job market and the on-line job market. Our Placement Consultants will assist you in preparing your resume and your application letters, interview skills e.g. how to handle commonly asked interview questions. Our Placement Consultants will set up as many interviews as possible for you, but you must put in the effort as well.
4. Our Placement Services will circulate your resume when appropriate, advertise to the employment market, run Graduate Forums and special activities to help you understand and prepare for the IT job market.

What do you mean by "We guarantee to work with you until you find employment"?

Computer Power Institute of Technology is committed to working with you to find the job that is right for you. Our Placement Consultants will work with you to secure the dream position your dream career.

Why don’t you guarantee job placement?

Because so much of the job placement success depends on the individual, we cannot guarantee job placement. Computer Power Institute of Technology provides guidance on how to prepare for your interviews and how to present yourself in a professional manner to give you the best possible chance of securing a job. However, a large part of the employment success will be up to you both at the job interview and working with our Placement staff in preparation for the interview.

Why do you only quote 90% placement? What happens to the other 10%? Why don’t you quote 100% placement rate?

Computer Power Institute of Technology proudly place more than 90% of our graduates, but we present a conservative stance to the market. Of the graduates who do not find employment, many start their own businesses and some go on to do further study. Some of our graduates are not seeking a career change as they are happy in their current jobs, but completed a course to improve their skills. International students are not currently eligible to work full-time in Australia or New Zealand unless arrangements are made with the appropriate Immigration services.

At Computer Power Institute of Technology, we guarantee to work with graduates until they are successful in gaining employment in the area in which they have studied - we cannot guarantee to get graduates a job - no institution can. There are many factors beyond Computer Power Institute of Technology’s control that relate to successful employment. For example, a lot is dependent on how the individual performs at the job interview.

What type of companies can I find work with upon completing training with Computer Power Institute of Technology?

Computer Power Institute of Technology graduates are securing work in a wide variety of companies throughout Australia, New Zealand and other countries. Almost every company in today's environment utilises Information Technology in the workplace, therefore there is a great demand for qualified IT staff in a variety of industries. The obvious companies are IT based firms who require the broad spectrum of skills to deliver their services. Companies who recruit Computer Power Institute of Technology candidates are not only those that operate in the IT industry but also organisations in industries including Health and Medical, Education, Aviation, Government, Manufacturing, Retail, Hospitality, Legal, Accounting and Finance to name but a few. We have long-established relationships with organisations and contact them regularly to enquire about job vacancies for our graduates.

What type of jobs can I get upon completion of training with Computer Power Institute of Technology? Will it be relevant to what I have studied in?

Computer Power Institute of Technology will assist you to find employment in an IT-related position that suits your skills and desires. Computer Power Institute of Technology graduates obtain work in a broad spectrum of positions. Sometimes your interests, background and previous work skills can direct your career choices. Many graduates haven't worked in the IT industry previously. Companies are interested in graduates from Computer Power Institute of Technology for Programming, E-Commerce, Web Development, IT Consultancy, Software Support, Technical Support, Network Administration, Help Desk, Training, Computer Maintenance, Call Centres and much more.

Do I have the right to refuse a position that I am offered?

Yes. However, you may be refusing an excellent opportunity to put your IT skills into practice and launch your new career. Sometimes it is better to take a job in a good company and see what opportunities you can gain during employment. Then once you have work experience behind you, you can further specialise in your next job. Quite often, it is difficult to know what a job working in IT would be like without giving it a try.

What if I want to find work in a different state or overseas?

Computer Power Group currently has thirteen sites around Australia and New Zealand. All locations provide assistance to our graduates. If you are interested in relocating to any of these areas, Computer Power Institute of Technology can help you with the transfer of your job placement assistance. If you want to move overseas, you must have the correct visa status.

During my studies, can I receive placement assistance?

You are only eligible for job placement assistance once you have completed your studies. The job preparation modules are held throughout your course, finishing with an intensive job search program. This means there’s no delay in starting the job search once you have graduated.

What do I have to do to be one of the 90% who find employment?

Your opportunities to apply the technical skills you have learned will depend very largely on your enthusiasm and how you approach your job search and the job itself. At Computer Power Institute of Technology, you will receive guidance on effective ways to approach these situations, and you may find how useful these principles can be in many other areas of activity, including study. Placement Assistance at the Institute is a three prong activity:- 1) You look for employment, 2) We look together and 3) We look for you. You will have so many more opportunities working together as a team. Many of our graduates find jobs through their own efforts.

Can I talk to a company who employed a graduate from Computer Power Institute of Technology?

Our testimony is that we have more than 35 years of experience in IT training and we now have graduates who are working as IT Managers/MIS Managers who hire our new graduates. We are proud of the on-going relationships we have with our graduates and their success. Due to legal issues, we have found that companies generally refrain from providing verbal or written endorsement of our services.

How long will it take for me to find employment?

The length of time it takes varies from days to months. It tends to be dependent on a combination of job search strategy planning during the course, attitude of the graduate and performance at interviews. So you need to learn from our experienced Placement Consultants and our Professional Development trainers to ensure that you have the very best chance of finding that job quickly.

What if I am a more mature graduate?

How quickly you find employment depends on your background and attitude. However, more mature candidates can bring a great deal of skills, knowledge and experience to their new employer. Employers should not legally discriminate because of age but you may find that it takes a little longer to find employment. Computer Power Institute of Technology has had great success over the years in placing the more mature graduates. Plus, many have succeeded in starting their own businesses.

English is not my first Language, will that hinder my employment opportunities?

Gaining employment is all about communication skills. As long as you are understood and can present yourself well at an interview you should be fine. However, if you think that your English language communication level is low, Computer Power Institute of Technology can recommend an English Training course in conjunction with your IT training. This will help ensure that you get that job! In fact, employers very often value language skills.